The Town Files

Lake County, South Dakota

10,972 people. The median home is worth $247,600 (typical South Dakota town: $182,100) and the median household earns $76,808.

Towns in Lake County

Towns in Lake County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Madison6,191$193,100$65,59340.1
Lake Madison829$477,800$129,19163.2

People and housing

Lake CountyTypical South Dakota town
Median home value$247,600$182,100
Median rent$947$785
Median household income$76,808$66,086
Median age43.839.5
Bachelor's degree or higher34.6%23.6%
Below the poverty line8.4%10.1%

Jobs and pay

5,221 jobs in 2024, average pay $56,802 a year.

Largest industries in Lake CountyManufacturing1,014 jobs · $59,035Health care & social assistan…610 jobs · $53,809Hotels & restaurants525 jobs · $16,303Retail449 jobs · $34,937Construction252 jobs · $69,046Wholesale trade252 jobs · $92,230
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Lake County0%2%4%6%2000200420082012201620202023 1.9%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 623 storm events in Lake County from 1996 to 2026, with 2 deaths.

Storm events in Lake County by type since 1996Hail138Flood14Drought42Blizzard30High Wind32Heavy Snow15Winter Storm36Excessive Heat16Winter Weather93Cold/Wind Chill22
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Lake County has been included in 20 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
August 15, 2024FloodDR-4807: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
June 29, 2022Severe StormDR-4656: Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding
April 5, 2020BiologicalDR-4527: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3475: Covid-19
November 18, 2019Severe StormDR-4469: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
June 7, 2019FloodDR-4440: Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Flooding
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).